The library of the Academy has a complex history just like the “Italian Society of Sciences called of the XL” which was founded precisely with the aim of publishing studies and the research of eminent scientists of the time in the ‘Memorie’(Memoirs).

Initially, the library comprised the bibliographic and archival possessions collected by the founder, A.M. Lorgna, during his presidency. Thereafter, donations by Academy members, manuscripts and exchanges of letters, legacies of personal funds, and the exchanges of volumes and documents with other national and foreign Academies enriched the book heritage which nowadays amounts to about 20.000 volumes despite several losses.

The seat at theScuderie Vecchie in Villa Torlonia

In the consultation room at Villa Torlonia, the Library seat since 2007, the two main collections of history of science monographs of the XVIII – XX century are displayed as well as the complete series of the Academy Memoirs and works published by Academy members or concerning their lives and research. These collections have been acquired by the Academy in various ways, in particular by means of systematic purchases in the antique stores during the last years.

The consultation room also displays some of the most precious collections of academic periodicals of the XIX century: the Proceedings of the Sciences Academy and Astronomic Observatory in Saint Petersburg, those of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, of the Royal Society in London, of the Royal Irish Academy, of the Akademie der Wissenschaften in Berlin and the “Greenwich Observations” of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, to name some of the most prestigious foreign institutions.